ส่วนความเป็นมาของชื่อ "แปดริ้ว” ก็มีตำนานเล่าขานกันมาหลายกระแสไม่แพ้กัน บ้างก็ว่าเมืองนี้แต่ไหนแต่ไรมาเป็นเมืองอู่ข้าวอู่น้ำ ในลำน้ำอุดมสมบูรณ์ด้วนสัตว์น้ำนานาชนิด โดยเฉพาะปลาช่อนซึ่งเป็นปลาน้ำจืดรสดีนั้นมีชุกชุมและขนาดใหญ่กว่าในท้องถิ่นอื่นๆ จนเมื่อนำมาแล่เนื้อทำปลาตากแห้ง จะแล่เพียงสี่ริ้วหรือห้าริ้วตามปกติไม่ได้ ต้องแล่ออกถึง "แปดริ้ว” เมืองนี้จึงได้ชื่อว่า "แปดริ้ว” ตามขนาดใหญ่โตของปลาช่อนซึ่งเป็นเอกลักษณ์เฉพาะตัวของเมือง นอกจากเรื่องปากท้องซึ่งเป็นเรื่องใหญ่และมีอิทธิพลต่อความคิดของชาวบ้านอย่างมากแล้ว นิทานพื้นบ้านซึ่งมีเนื้อเรื่องค่อนข้างผาดโผนก็มีส่วนสร้างความเชื่อถือในเรื่องชื่อเมืองได้เหมือนกัน คนในท้องถิ่นพนมสารคามเล่าถึงเรื่อง "พระรถ-เมรี” ซึ่งเป็นนิทานเรื่องหนึ่งในปัญญาสชาดกว่า ยักษ์ได้ฆ่านางสิบสองแล้วลากศพไปยังท่าน้ำ ในบริเวณที่เป็นคลอง"ท่าลาด” แล้วชำแหละศพออกเป็นริ้วๆ รวมแปดริ้ว แล้วทิ้งลอยไปตามลำน้ำท่าลาด ริ้วเนื้อริ้วหนังของนางสิบสองลอยมาออกยังแม่น้ำบางปะกง ไปจนถึงฉะเชิงเทรา เมืองนี้จึงได้ชื่อว่า "แปดริ้ว” The origins of "Pad-rew” are as colourful as those of "Chachoengsao”. One source tells that the name is invented after "Pla Chon”, the snake-head fish familiar in the Bangpakong River, whose abundance breeds more numerous and more sizable fish than any other streams. Drying such a big one needs carving of 8 strips, instead of typical 4 or 5. The city thus owes the name "pad-rew” to this 8-strip carving. A more legendary source of Pad-rew has religious influences. "Phararot-Mari”, an ancient thrilling tale from Panyasa Chataka tells about the demon, the antagonist, who murdered the 12 concubines, cut them into 8 pieces and set the corpses adrift at Khlong "Tha Lad”. The flesh along the Bangpakong River to Chachoengsao, where the name "Pad-rew” is adopted.
Land Chachoengsao stretches beyond 5,000 square kilometers or 3 million rai, engrossing the second vastest area in the East next to Chanthaburi. It reaches over Nakhon Nayok and Prachinburi in the North, Chonburi and Chanthaburi in the South, Prachinburi in the East and Bangkok Metropolis, Samutprakarn and Prathumthani in the West. Chachoengsao terrain is predominantly wet plains, with corrugated plains, highlands and low hills alternately recurring. The flat ground is bounteous for cultivation, and along the ridges are priceless forests where abide rare wild animals and founts of streams. The Bangpakong River, the vein of Chachoengsao, begins there, whirling through and enriching the soil before moving seaward into the Gulf of Thailand. Chachoengsao is beautiful, with the glimmering stream meandering through and bisecting its ground. Given a bird ’s eye view, one has a charmingly distinctive panorama, of sprouting urbanized buildings and vast green domain of woodlands and plantations, adorned by islets of leafy orchards, golden rice fields and silver blocks of shrimp farms. On both banks of the river, "Chak” (atap palm) thickets swing in the breeze, their dark green leaves rubbing against one another. Following the river, Chachoengsao yields to the sea at Amphoe Bangpakong, creating a coast of some 12 kilometers, embraced by rich mangrove forests. Abutted to the sea, the city is influenced by land and sea breezes, and moistened by northeast and southwest monsoons, which carry with them seasonal rainfall and fruitfulness.
There is no definite assertion on Chachoengsao ’s birth. Only archaeological assumption are made that, thousands of years ago, Bangpakong Riverfront, like many other river basins worldwide, was a center of ancient civilization and habitat to pre-historic populace. 5,000-year-old skeletons and ornaments found at Khok Phanomdee, now a village in Amphoe Phanat Nikhom, Chonburi, and once a dominion under Chachoengsao ’s sovereignty, are the first testimony advocative to the notion. According to geographers, during 7,000-2,000 B.C. the coastline where pre-historic communities abode was much father inland. Thus, the assumption that Bangpakong people were forefathers of the renowned Ban Chiang men is sensible.
Evidences on Bangpakong civilization became more prominent in the historical age. Early in the Buddhist Era, no kingdom with a capital city was yet born. The government was in form of small "regions” or "city states”. Nonetheless, its economic character began to take root. Geographically, the nucleus of Bangpakong civilization was simultaneously a trade outlet to overseas nations and gateway of goods to the mainland, including the Northeastern Plateau and Cambodian Great Plain, regarded as a bulb of the primeval civilization in Southeast Asia. Archaeological testimonies discovered there, paintings and sculptures alike, prove an incessant tide of human settlements throughout the time.
However, the name "Chachoengsao” was first officially traced in the Ayudhya Period, during the reign of King Boroma Trilolokanata (1991-2031 B.E.) Chachoengsao then adopted an administrative role of a principal town adjoining the capital city like Ratchaburi, Petchaburi, Kanchanaburi, Samutsongkhram, Nakhon Chaisri, Nakhon Sawan, Chainat, Suphanburi, samutsakorn, Chonburi Prachinburi and Nakhon Nayok. It was during the reign of King Naresuan the Great that the integrity of Chachoengsao as a "city” sharing the fellow crountrymen ’s joy and grief took shape. Adjacent to the Cambodian border, Siam was invariably vulnerable to the Khmer’s offence and plunder, especially when being raided by the Burmese. To avenge his motherland, King Naresuan the Great, with a troop of over 10,000, made an attack on lawaek, Cambodia, in 2136 B.E.. It was a big, well-planned battle in which Chachoengsao was a military base, transferring supplies and provisions to the chief legion. 2310 B.E., the year of the Fall of Ayudhya, records another political stamina of Chachoengsao in Thai history. Fleeing the collapsing city, Phya Kampaengpetch, later crowned as King Taksin the Great, led his 1,000 followers to Chanthaburi with an aim to bolster the force and take a regain. At Chao Lo Rivermouth, his legion was tracked and attacked by the Burmese. Fortunately, with the locale auspicious for ambuscade, a counterattack was successful. Later, using Chachoengsao as a route Phya Kamphaengpetch took a triumphant journey, raiding the Burmese at Thonburi Camp and their headquarter at Po Sarm Thon Camp, and made a victorious recapture. โฉมหน้าใหม่ของเมืองนี้เริ่มชัดเจนขึ้นในช่วงต้นของกรุงรัตนโกสินทร์ โดนเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งในรัชกาลของพระบาทสมเด็จพระนั่งเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว เพราะเป็นเวลาที่ฉะเชิงเทราได้รับบทบาทในฐานะ "เมืองหน้าด่าน” ที่สำคัญแห่งหนึ่งของชาติโดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งเมื่อญวนเกิดฮึกเหิม หมายจะแย่งชิงอำนาจในการปกครองเขมรและสถาปนากษัตริย์เขมรจากไทย จนเกิดเหตุลุกลามกลายเป็นสงคราม "อานามสยามยุทธ” ระหว่างไทยกับญวนดำเนินไปได้ราว 1 ปี คือในปี พ.ศ. 2377 พระบาทสมเด็จพระนั่งเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว โปรดเกล้าฯ ให้ย้ายที่ว่าการเมืองฉะเชิงเทราจากเดิมซึ่งตั้งอยู่ที่ปากน้ำเจ้าโล้ มาสร้างกำแพงเมืองใหม่ที่บ้านท่าไข่ แขวงเมืองฉะเชิงเทรา ชิดกับลำน้ำบางปะกง ซึ่งเป็นเสมือนกำแพงธรรมชาติที่ป้องกันศัตรูได้อย่างดี หมายให้ช่วยรักษาเมืองหลวงให้พ้นภัยจากข้าศึก กำแพงนี้นอกจากจะเป็นปราการในการปกป้องเมืองหลวงแล้ว ยังกลายเป็นศูนย์กลางอำนาจรัฐแห่งใหม่และเป็นเครื่องแสดงอาณาเขตของเมืองด้วย ต่อมาเมื่อเกิดการสร้างบ้านแปลงเมืองใหม่ภายในกำแพง ความเป็น "เมือง” ที่มีอาณาเขตแน่นอนของฉะเชิงเทราจึงได้เกิดขึ้นเป็นครั้งแรกในประวัติศาสตร์
A new countenance of Chachoengsao was perceptible early in Rattanakosin Period. During the reign of King Rama III, the city turned out to be a major "frontier town” of the nation. Striving over the governing authority of Cambodia, Siam and annam waged a 14-year war (2376-2390 B.E.). In 2377 B.E., the "administration center” of Chachoengsao was relocated from Chao Lo Rivermouth to Ban Tha Khai. There a city wall and fortress was built, abutting the Bangpakong River, as a fortification against the foes. As a garrison, the Wall shielded the capital city, and meanwhile, within it a new "municipality” was formed. It was the first time in Chachoengsao history that a precise boundary of the city was marked.
The "New Age” of Chachoengsao commenced in the reign of King Rama IV, when Thailand was enthralled by transcontinental civilization. Traditional lifestyles were modified to suit western culture, and societal and cultural changes were made to display Thai erudition. However, the reign of King Rama V was when the European influences in Southeast Asia were most violent and expansive. It was a new form of jeopardy Thailand had to encounter. Upon the King ’s contemplation, "political” policies replaced "military” ones. Ways of life were modernized and Quality of life improved. "Dhesabhibarn” governmental pattern was adopted. Using rivers as borderlines, "Muangs” (cities) were assembled into "Monthons” (regions). Chachoengsao also took part in this reform. Along with Prachinburi, Nakhon Nayok and Phanomsarakham, Chachoengsao was amassed into "Monthon Prachin” in 2435 B.E., having the Bangpakong River as the landmark. Systematic city planning was first achieved here. "Monthon Prachin”, later expanded to cover also Phanat Nikhom, Chonburi and Bang Lamung, issymbolic of the nation ’s strive for independence in the age of colonialism, and Chachoengsao, becoming the Monthon ’s administration center, is the prototype of an advanced government pattern to be imitated by other regions. Constitutional Monarchy was embraced in Thailand in 2475 B.E.. Here ended the former "Dhesabhibarn”, and began the "Nation Administration Act: 2476 B.E.”, inciting distribution of government powers regionally. "Muang Chachoengsao” was change into "Changwat”, having a "Governor” for its chief, and election of representatives was induced in compliance with the Constitution. Chachoengsao took a quick political pace in 2495 B.E., which is the last year of region establishment, when chosen "center” of the Central Region, having an authoritative jurisdiction over 8 provinces. What the city is called and why is an isue of extensive interest and colourful vista. "Chachoengsao” and "pad-rew” are the two titles denoting the identity of this city. The former is an official name and the latter is a colloquial one long know and used in the locality. Adopting variety of interpretations, both swirl back to picturesque legendary founts. An account of Chachoengsao ’s origins is discerned in King Rama Iv’s Collection of Literary Works, of which a part sataes "…Some of the city names are thai, other are Khmer; roots: Chachoengsao is Khmer; and Pad-Rew is Thai…” An assumption is made accordingly that "Chachoengsao” stems from Khmerian "Satrungtreng” or "Chatrungtrao” meaning "deep canel”. The notion is conceivably based on geographical grounds. The city, then under Khmerian predomination, is sited along Bangkapong River banks. In those days, calling a river "deep canel” or "big canel” is qoite understandable. And with political influence, the name of the river might follow Khmerian "Satungtreng” or "Chatrungtrao”, be later deviated in to "Chachoengsao”, and gave the title to the city. However, a different opinion is much stronger. "Chachoengsao”, in view the most, is not a Khmer word but a Thai, deviating from "Strengshrao” or "Saengsao”, the name of the city vanquished by Somdej Phra Borommarachathirat, a King of the Ayudhya Epoch, as cited in the Royal Chronicle by historian Luang Prasert. The argument is based on the fact that the Ayudhya Period is the time when names and titles were all in Thai. Event the names of contemporary cities like Nonthaburi, Nakhon Chaisri and Sakhornburi are of Thai origin with Indian influence. The similarity in articulation between "Chachoengsao” and "Saengshrao” is also conspicuous.
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